


Two Paths

by cecania



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Canon Retelling, F/M, M/M, one apprentice but two main characters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-30
Updated: 2017-12-30
Packaged: 2019-02-24 06:25:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13207887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cecania/pseuds/cecania
Summary: Two lives are forever changed with a pair of visits to a magical shop after dark. One goes on to the palace to work for the countess, the other running through the backstreets of Vesuvia with an accused murderer. Two stories intertwined through friendship and love and the very real threat hanging over their heads.





	Two Paths

**Author's Note:**

> This is basically the au me and juuneaux have been living in recently where her Errol and my Veera exist in the same universe. Errol is Asra’s apprentice, Veera is a friend of theirs and a dancer in the market. It’s basically a retelling of the story where the pair of them are going along Asra’s route and Julian’s at the same time. Most is still the same, with a few modifications here and there to make the both of them fit together, and most of these stories are filling in the gap or exploring the changes there.

 

            Sitting at the back of the baker’s stall, Veera absently blew on the berry tarts on her plate and watched the crowd move past. She hadn’t meant to stay here long but she knew better than to try to get through the crowds with a basket of shopping on her hip. She’d stopped to wait out the growing mass but it didn’t seem to be waning. If anything, it seemed to be getting bigger.

            Had something happened? Usually the labourers were the first wave through the market, getting extra food for lunches before they went into the forest and fields around the city. Then the crowds would wane for a while in preparation for the actual market goers. But today it seemed to be a steady stream with no end in sight.

            “Damn it,” she muttered, leaning back against the stone wall and stretching her legs out along the bench she was seated on. This was supposed to be a quick trip into the market to pick up a few supplies for the shop and house. Now she’d been here for over an hour and there was no sign of being able to get back anytime soon. Not easily at least.

            Sucking on her cheek, she closed her eyes. Once she was done with the tarts she needed to go. Crowd or not. The longer she stayed, the worse it was probably going to get.

            “Veera?”

            The call of her name startled her, the plate wobbling in her hands. She managed to steady it without losing anything and looked at the speaker. He was peeking around the baker at the front of the stall, eyes wide under a mop of golden hair. “Errol?” she said in surprise. “What are you doing out here so early?”

            “He’s here for the bread,” the baker joked.

            Any other day she wouldn’t doubt that but there was no reason for him to be here this early, only for bread. And where was Asra? He liked the bread and tea here as much as Errol did. When she saw Errol was still staring at her, she swung her legs off the bench and patted the spot beside her.

            He quickly ducked into the stall when the baker gestured him in.

            Veera jumped when he crashed down beside her and reached out with one hand to steady him. “Errol, what’s going on?”

            “Last night was _awful_ , Vee,” he said in a rush. “The worst night of my life. Everything that could go wrong did and it was awful!”

            She blinked at him, sorting through the words. She’d known Errol long enough to be able to understand him when he talked that fast but it still took a moment for the words to actually register. “What happened? Did Asra leave again?”

            Golden brows drew together, Errol’s expression tightening and that was answer enough for her. “He left,” he said lowly. “It was a new moon and he always says those are the best for starting journeys. A blank slate or something like that. But I don’t know if he really wanted to leave or if he _had_ to leave. He wouldn’t say. Not that he ever says but you know that.”

            She did know that. She’d visited often enough while Asra was away to know that.

            “But it was everything _after_ he left that was horrible! A customer made him leave sooner than he’d meant to.”

            “A customer? Did you leave the lantern out again?”

            He gave her a look. “No. They were…Vee, it was Countess Nadia! She came to the shop for a reading. She came to _my_ shop for a reading! My shop! In the middle of the night and I couldn’t just turn her away, could I? I mean, she’s the countess! You can’t really say no to her, can you? But I think she thought I was Asra but I’m not sure and now I’m supposed to go to the palace to work for her?”

            “Work for her?” she said in surprise. “Doing what?”

            “I don’t know. The reading said she had a plan that she needed to put into motion now and maybe I’m a part of that plan? She didn’t say. She just said to come to the palace for a while. I’m going there today. That’s why I’m here so early. Why are you here so early?”

            “Shopping,” Veera said absently, her thoughts spinning. He’d said so much that she wasn’t sure she’d heard him right. Or that he was telling the truth. But Errol wasn’t one to lie. “So having the countess there for a reading and then asking you to help her was awful?”

            “I didn’t know what to do! What do you do when the countess visits you in the dead of night?”

            She didn’t know either and she hoped she never had to find out. “Apparently agree to work for her,” she said.

            “Apparently,” he agreed before inhaling deeply.

            Veera stared at him. “There’s more?”

            “Someone else came in the shop while I was seeing the countess out,” he agreed.

            “How?” she demanded. “Asra always locks the back door when he leaves and you were at the front weren’t you?”

            “I don’t want to think about how he got in, Vee. It was bad enough he got in, with that mask and that big coat and demanding to know where Asra, no the _witch_ was.”

            She barely kept herself from wrapping an arm around Errol’s shoulders when he shook beside her. “Errol, who?”

            He licked his lips, gaze darting around before he leaned in closer. “Doctor Jules,” he whispered. “He broke into my shop and was asking about Asra and he wasn’t happy that he was gone. He’s mad at Asra, has been chasing him all over, but he wouldn’t say why. When he realised Asra was gone, he asked for a reading which is strange given he didn’t seem too keen on magic. But I did it and he didn’t like it. He really didn’t like it, Vee.”

            “What did he get?”

            “Death. He misunderstood it, like everyone does but nothing would come to me and then he was getting up to go. He warned me about Asra, which doesn’t make sense, Asra wouldn’t hurt me, but then he left too and I was alone. I don’t know how he got in the shop or if he’s going to come back and I have to go to the palace.”

            Veera jerked a little when his eyes got wider somehow and he pulled away.

            “I have to go to the palace!” he squeaked, leaping off the bench.

            “Here, wait, Errol. Take this with you.”

            Veera watched, half in shock as the baker handed Errol a loaf of pumpkin bread in a cloth. “Errol?” she called as he started away.

            “I’ll try to come back to talk, Veera! Promise!”

            She sat on the bench, blinking at nothing for a long time after he’d disappeared into the crowd. What had just happened? How had her friend had so much happen to him in one night? It didn’t make sense. Normally the shop was quiet when Asra left, the usual customers but nothing more. They had an unspoken agreement that she’d visit Errol a little more than usual while Asra was gone but nothing like this had ever happened before.

            “Poor thing sure seemed on edge today,” the baker said to her. “He was talking so fast I couldn’t keep up.”

            “He does that,” Veera said absently. “You get used to it.”

            “If you say so. Known him for years and I still can’t keep up,” he chuckled.

            Biting into one of her tarts, Veera thought about that. She’d known Errol for years as well and she’d never seen him like this. Granted, his life had never been thrown into this kind of upheaval before. Asra leaving was normal enough, even if it would have still upset Errol. But the other parts, meeting the countess and having someone break in would have rattled him. It _had_ rattled him.

            She frowned as she finished her tarts. There wasn’t much she could do about any of it, though. Errol was on his own at the palace. Her frown deepened. That wasn’t something she wanted to dwell on either. But she knew Errol could take care of himself, even if this was entirely new and completely out of his element.

            Licking her fingers, she pushed off the bench. The crowd hadn’t improved at all but she needed to get going. She couldn’t sit here all day, stewing over what was going on with Errol. “Thanks for the tarts,” she said to the baker, fishing out a pair of coins to put on the bench.

            “You put that money away!”

            “Already there!” she said, hefting her basket and hurrying out of the stall.

            “Veera!”

            She bustled away as quickly as she could, grinning at the griping she could hear coming from behind her. It had become almost ritual between them, him not wanting her money and her refusing to take anything for free. Didn’t stop him from telling her not to pay nor her ignoring him every time.

            Pausing for a cart, she idly watched it trundle by and lifted her basket a little higher. About the only consolation she had now was that she was moving with the crowd. But it still wasn’t easy. People bumped into her, looking at her like it was her fault, but she kept going.

            A loud noise had her pausing, shading her eyes as she glanced up toward it. A raven was perched on top of a stall, watching the crowd with a dark, beady eye. It cocked its head at her but didn’t caw again. Not that it mattered, she recognized the bird.

            “You’re a long ways from home, Malak,” she called. “The tavern’s on the other side of town.”

            It preened a little but didn’t do more than that.

            “Move it, missy!”

            Her smile faded as someone pushed on her, a sharp retort on her tongue. She bit it back at the last second, instead moving forward. She was the one that had stopped. Moving forward, she’d only gone a few feet before she stopped again. “Shut it,” she growled when someone behind her started to grumble.

            The crowd moved around her, jostling her a little, but she refused to budge. Staring across the market, she watched the tall man browsing like he didn’t have a care in the world. She knew who he was, the entire city knew who he was. She’d never had cause to seek him out or talk to him before but she knew who he was.

            Biting her lip, she started through the crowd, moving toward him. He didn’t seem to notice her, but why would he? She would just be another face in a sea of faces. Which made it easy to follow him as he perused the market.

            The longer she followed him, the more she felt her irritation surge. Errol didn’t deserve a break in and an interrogation. No one did but him especially. She couldn’t imagine how panicked he must have been when someone had gotten in when he was there alone.

            Her hand tightened on her basket and she reminded herself she needed to take everything home. If she threw anything at him, she likely wouldn’t get it back and would have to go buy more. Somehow that only made her all the madder at him.

            Veera quickened her pace when he started toward one of the lesser known exits of the market. It was more for the vendors, a small street that dumped into the alleyways. An easy escape for someone who wanted to get away fast. “No, no, no,” she muttered under her breath, throwing caution to the wind as she followed.

            She ignored the dirty looks and comments she got, hanging onto her basket as tightly as she could. She was close. So close. “Doctor,” she called, trying to get his attention enough for him to slow down.

            He didn’t slow, didn’t acknowledge her at all.

            Her eyes narrowed and she ducked into the street after him. “Doc Jules?”

            He was barely ahead of her and should have heard her. Which meant he was ignoring her on purpose. Which did _nothing_ for her mood.

            “Devorak!” she snapped.

            That got a reaction. Julian swivelled to face her, his brow tight. “Are you done following-” A startled grunt left him and he stumbled back from her as her fist connected with his face.

            Pain radiated through her hand, but it didn’t matter to her. “Do I have your attention now?” Veera growled, anger filling her.

            He was staring at her, eye wide above his hand as he held his nose.

            Pointing a finger at him, she ignored the throb that went through her hand. “You’re supposed to be a doctor,” she said shortly. “Doctors aren’t meant to terrify people like that. You don’t just break into someone’s house in the middle of the night and scare the life out of him!”

            Julian blinked at her, his brows drawing together. “How do you-?” He stopped, taking a step back as Veera got closer to him.

            “Whatever shit you have with Asra, you keep it between the two of you,” she told him firmly, jabbing her finger into his chest. “Errol doesn’t have anything to do with it so you leave him alone.”

             He was back to staring but he didn’t move, barely rocking on his feet as she poked him again. “Are you going to hit me again if I don’t?”

            Her eyes narrowed at him. He might not have meant it as a sass but it sounded like one. “Probably.”

            “…You mean that,” he muttered.

            “Leave him alone,” she told him again, her finger staying on his chest and pushing to make sure he was paying attention. “He’s got enough shit to deal with without you adding to it.”

            His mouth pursed, his gaze dropping down to where she was still touching him. “And apparently another protector.”

            She let that go. She cared about Errol and knew he wasn’t likely to admit to anyone how bad all of this would be affecting him. Or actually confront anyone that put him in that state. “I’m serious, Doctor,” she told him, moving past him. “Leave Errol out of your shit.”

            He didn’t say anything but she could feel him watching her as she walked away. She didn’t look back and didn’t shake her hand out at all. She hadn’t been thinking when she threw the punch, her emotions getting the best of her and making her react. Which meant she hadn’t done it properly and that was probably the only reason she hadn’t broken his nose.

            “Damn it,” she muttered, following the alleys to get back to home. She would have to ice her knuckles most likely and explain to her aunt and uncle _why_ she had to ice them. She wasn’t one to normally start a fight or be involved in one at all. Her uncle told her she had a gift for getting people to see reason, to avoid violence all together, but that apparently wasn’t her today. No, today she was punching the man who had broken into her friend’s shop…and was also accused of murdering the count.

            Stopping dead in her tracks, Veera stared at the back door of the shop as her heart gave a hard thump. She’d punched an accused murderer. And threatened him with more. She’d essentially chased him into an alley by herself and then punched him.

            Covering her face, she winced as her hand throbbed and groaned. “Damn it, Veera. Now what are you going to do?” She wasn’t going to tell her aunt and uncle _who_ she had punched, that was for damn sure.


End file.
